Disappointment
by D.K. Archer
Summary: Their father finds out what he shouldn't.  RaphMikey incest


Disappointment

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Splinter's room was brightly lit, with the electric lights instead of the candles, and their master's tail was twitching. This did not look good. Both of them had been asked to kneel, and they had, side by side on the mat, hands on their thighs and guts twisting. Splinter had remained standing.

"Raphael…Michelangelo…. Is there something you wish to tell me?" he said carefully. Splinter's hands were folded over the head of his staff, and his expression was perfectly blank. Michelangelo glanced nervously across at Raph, who was staring resolutely at the ground. The motion drew Splinter's attention.

"Michelangelo?" Splinter prompted gently.

Mikey blanched, and tried to think of something quickly. What else could Splinter possibly be angry about? "Sensei…I know we've been having a lot of fights and stuff lately, but….we're working it out. Honest." He quickly flashed his nervous grin, which translated easily to I'm-completely-full-of-shit-please-don't-kill-me, and Splinter knew it.

"So I was aware." Splinter said dryly. He paused, and sighed. "I spoke with Leonardo today." He admitted, watching Raphael's muscles slowly tensing under his skin. "He has brought to my attention an…interesting development between you two."

Raph's hands tightened to fists on his lap, and he drew his breath in through his teeth.

Mikey swallowed. "H-he did, huh?" he stalled lamely.

Splinter didn't honor that with a response. Mikey grimaced and groped wildly for an explanation.

"Well, y'see, we were, uh…. I mean…. It's not like we were…uh…well…"

Shit.

Mikey dropped his eyes, unable to look at him.

Raph took a deep breath. And Mikey wasn't fast enough to stop him from saying it.

"It's my fault." Raph said quickly. "It was my idea. I made Mikey go along with it, I made him do everything; it wasn't his fault."

"Raph--!" Mikey protested, but Splinter held up his hand to silence him.

"Raphael, what exactly was it that you made Michelangelo do?" He asked quietly.

Raphael looked up at him finally, eyes hot and defiant. But he was breathing too fast, and Splinter recognized what he was trying to hide. Raphael was afraid.

Another deep breath. "Sex. Fucking." Raph spat, refusing to look away. "Whatever it was Leo told you, that's what we did. It was my fault."

"It was not!" Mikey protested, and Raph turned on him in a flash.

"Mikey, shut UP!" he hissed through his teeth, and Mikey actually recoiled, startled to have that anger turn on him.

Raph turned back to Master Splinter just as quickly, but his gaze was just a little more panicked. Raphael had never been very good at hiding his emotions, not to someone who had known him his entire life. Splinter took a deep breath himself and tapped his cane against the ground, centering his thoughts.

"Is this…a standing arrangement?" he said calmly. "Or a single occurrence?"

Mikey opened his mouth, fumbled, and failed to come up with anything suitable. He just stared at his father miserably.

Splinter closed his eyes. He was silent for a moment while they waited for the axe to fall.

"I…had not anticipated something like this happening." Splinter admitted eventually, eyes still closed. "I expect now that might have been error on my part. It is not inconceivable that this might occur, considering the…isolation you endure, the lack of peers, or prospects." He paused again, and Mikey absently thought this might be the first time Splinter ever had this much difficulty thinking of what to say to them. "Be that as it may…" Splinter forced his eyes open, lifting his chin for the final edict. "I do not approve." He said shortly. "You are brothers. You are both my sons. I do not know how this arrangement came about and I do not want to know, I can only tell you that I do not approve of it."

Raph's face was down, forced into a blank expression, fists tight on his thighs. Mikey's dismayed face was more easily read.

"However." Splinter continued, choosing his words carefully and keeping his tone tightly controlled. "You are past the age where I could effectively stop you. I cannot separate you. I cannot watch you every hour of every day. And I refuse to send one or both of you away to prevent it!" His tail twitched angrily, and he forced it back into stillness. "I would say that I will trust to your judgment to end it, but obviously I cannot." He took a deep breath again, and attempted to calm himself.

"Go to your rooms." He said curtly. "Go there and stay there for the rest of the night. In this much, at least, I can expect to be obeyed."

There was a moment in which no one moved.

"Go." He ordered.

His son's managed to their feet, and both of them bowed, though Raphael with more difficulty. He watched their backs as they went to the door, aware of Raphael's placement of himself between him and Michelangelo.

"I am very disappointed in you both." Splinter finished quietly.

Raphael paused. But he did not look back.


End file.
